Two Breaths
by chibitalex
Summary: '"You're breaking up with me." Arthur interrupted him flatly. Alfred's voice gave way and he nodded mutely.' Years pass. Arthur finds himself with a good job, a stable life. Just when he thinks it's okay to breathe again, Alfred waltzes back into the picture after bumping into each other near their work. It's almost pathetic how easily life can change. M for suggestive scenarios.
1. Prologue

The forest was colder than it usually was at night. Oddly, the temperature was a solid fifty degrees fahrenheit. It was rather unusual considering the streak of heat and sweat his small town had been enduring over the past week. Even more so considering that when he left his house to meet Alfred, it had been sixty one degrees.

Maybe he had just misread it, but either way, it didn't really matter.

Arthur stepped off his bike and let it fall against a tree. The weak metal frame probably couldn't take much more abuse, but he didn't care. It was an old bike, after all, and he'd been meaning to get a car for quite a while. At times he'd find himself resenting his overly loving parents. While he was learning to drive in his sophomore year, he'd maybe gotten an accumulative total of five minutes behind the wheel before one of them would warn him that he could possibly die at any moment if he wasn't careful. Needless to say, it never did wonders for his confidence.

Alfred's truck was parked a few yards away, red and rusting. He had probably just arrived himself. Just as he was about to move past it, a rumbling caught his attention. Arthur huffed. It was so very much like Alfred to leave his truck on before walking out into the woods. This wasn't the first time this had happened, either. Opening the door, (Unlocked. Was he trying to be robbed?) he pocketed the keys and moved towards the mass of trees.

Stepping along the trail, Arthur shoved his hands into his pockets. He hadn't brought a jacket, which in hindsight was an idiotic decision. Though it was too late to fix now, and Alfred was still waiting for him near the edge of the trail, so he pressed onwards.

Alfred was sitting just where he always was, propped up against their tree and sitting on a blanket. Arthur stepped on a particularly loud branch, the snap of the wood catching the other's attention.

"Oh, hey. You made it!" His boyfriend grinned, moving over to make a space for him.

"Of course I did. I said was coming, didn't I?" Arthur asked, sitting next to him. Pulling the keys out of his pocket, he tossed them onto Alfred's lap. "You really need to stop doing this. I swear, one day, we're going to walk back and your truck will be gone. We'll have no way home."

Alfred laughed. "We have your bike, don't we?"

"If you're in the mood to die, yes, we have my bike." Arthur snorted.

Leaning back, he closed his eyes as Alfred chuckled again. They did this often. It wasn't an unusual date idea to come here and stargaze. It was rather cloudy, though, so that idea was out the window. The lake still looked nice, however, and the moon managed to peak its way through the clouds and reflect off it.

"Anyway, I asked you here because we need to talk." Alfred said slowly and hesitantly.

Arthur opened one eye and glanced over at him. "Well, I'm listening. Go ahead."

Alfred took a deep breath before continuing. "I love you, you know that right?"

Sitting up, Arthur narrowed his eyes. "Yes. Just as I love you. What's this about, Alfred?" He asked.

"We've been dating since freshman year, but we've been friends since elementary school. You have no idea how happy I was when you said yes to being my friend back when you moved here. I thought I could get through to you. Y'know, get you to open up," He smiled slightly. "I guess I did that. Our initials are still here from when we carved them back in fifth grade."

They were. In fact, they were sitting right in the corner of his vision. A crude AJ + AK surrounded by a heart. They had only added the heart last year, though.

"And when I realised I had a giant crush on you, I wasn't sure what to do. I mean, I was only fourteen, and I didn't know if you liked me, but I guess it all worked out. I mean, here we are," Alfred grinned. It seemed more forced than it usually was, but perhaps it was just his imagination. "Sitting in front of a tree, four years later and dating. Plus, we just graduated a week ago. So that's cool."

Arthur turned to face him, where as he had only been glancing from time to time out of the corner of his eye before. "Where is this going, Alfred?"

The other hesitated and began speaking again.

"You're the most important person ever to me, Art, but I just..." Alfred ran his fingers through his hair and pushed up his glasses before continuing. "I-"

"You're breaking up with me." Arthur interrupted him flatly.

He hoped that Alfred would immediately jump to deny it and chase away his fears, proclaim that he would never even think of doing such a thing.

Instead, Alfred's voice gave way and he nodded mutely.

A laughter bubbled up inside him. He wasn't exactly sure why, since his chest felt raw and his heart may have just jumped out of his stomach.

"Okay," Arthur muttered, gripping the blanket so hard his knuckles turned white. He laughed bitterly. "Okay. Fine. I don't care. It's very nice that you chose to wait until a week before your birthday to break up with me, however. Very classy."

Alfred remained silent for several moments. He was about to leave and bike home when the other finally piped up.

"I know you're angry, and you have every right to be upset, okay? You can leave now if you really want to."

At his words, Arthur's throat went dry. Mentally, he cursed and swore at himself as he remained glued to his spot. It disgusted him to know how weak his willpower was to not simply storm off. Eyes closed, he shut his mouth. The other man was still Alfred. He was still the man he had fallen in love with. That was more than anyone else in the world could say.

"I didn't know it'd be like this when we started out, okay?" Alfred asked, breaking the silence. "I thought we'd just... not work out and break up in like a week." He muttered.

"So you asked me out intending to have it end up like this?" Arthur closed his eyes. His voice was already coming out thick and heavy, a lump having formed in his throat.

Alfred shook his head. "I don't mean it like that, I mean like..." He huffed. "I thought that there was no way in hell you'd put up with me. I thought we'd still be friends."

"But here we are. Clearly, your plans went awry."

"Yeah."

These moments of uncomfortable blankness and quiet almost never occurred between them. Silence was something that they both cherished, though in different ways. Whenever they had been quiet in the past, it was comfortable and warm. Nothing like this, Arthur noted. Clearing his throat, he spoke up.

"Then why are you doing this?"

Alfred didn't even look at him, glancing away as if his gaze would burn him. "You're going to school at Cambridge. I'm going to Yale."

He scoffed. "I don't see how that matters much. With all of the new technological innovations these days, distance is hardly a problem. We video chatted when you went to nationals."

Shaking his head, Alfred sighed. "Yeah, but that's not..." He took another breath. "That's not it. That's not the point. We're going to college, Art. This is a whole new start for both of us. We're going to find new people, and hell!" He laughed. Forced again, Arthur noted. "You'll find someone you want to spend the rest of your life with. Someone better than me."

Arthur shook his head. "I'm both amazed and flattered at your faith in me to find someone better for me than you."

"You can get anyone. You're amazing. Just..." Alfred paused, burying his face into his knees. "God, I love you."

Tentatively, Arthur brought his hand up to Alfred's back, hovering over it for several seconds in debate. Pursing his lips, he slowly recoiled it and shoved it back into his pocket.

"If we love each other, we can make it work."

His face still hidden, Alfred muttered something.

"Speak up. I can't hear you."

"What if I said I didn't want to make this work, though?" He asked, louder.

All coherent thoughts stopped dead in their tracks. Arthur gritted his teeth.

"I see."

Standing up, he dusted himself off and glared down at the other man. Alfred must have heard the rustling of fabric, because his head snapped up immediately.

"Not because it's you, though! I just want..."

Arthur wobbled a bit. There he went again. This would be much easier if it wasn't Alfred, of all people. He was sure that if it was anyone else he would have walked away by now. But it was him.

"I just want a normal life, y'know?" Alfred muttered, looking away. "I want kids and I want to hold hands with whoever in public, and I want to be able to get married," His voice shook. Arthur found that his anger was getting harder and harder to grip onto as he sat down once more. The other choked, biting his lower lip. "I'm sorry, Art. I really am."

That sentence appeared to be what did Alfred in. Arthur could barely listen as his sobs reverberated between the trees. They weren't beautiful or delicate at all, loud and broken to the point where Arthur could feel himself physically crumbling. He would have spoken, but he found himself unable to get any words out. Alfred had cried twice before, to his knowledge. Or at least in his presence. Once when they were in third grade and he broke his arm jumping off the swing, and once when his dog died. Neither of them were quite like this.

"Hey," Alfred choked out, wiping away his tears with the sleeve of his hoodie. "You think you could turn into a girl for me?" He asked, stuttering and weak.

Arthur shook his head. "I'm afraid not. You'll have to find one on your own." He responded, dabbing his eyes with the corner of his shirt.

Alfred laughed again, breaking into a coughing fit halfway through. Arthur waited patiently and watched him as he tried to regain composure.

"Sorry about that."

Once more, he shook his head. "Don't worry about it."

After a pause, Alfred leaned back just far enough so that their shoulders touched. Arthur should have done something to move away, but found himself allowing the contact. Brief as it may be. He was sure it wasn't intentional.

"Remember how I kissed you here? For our first time, a month after we started dating?" Alfred asked.

How could he forget? Arthur chuckled slightly. They were both so inexperienced and awkward. The kiss itself wasn't anything more than a brush of skin against skin. Alfred had leaned in a bit too forcefully, however, and had left a sore soft on his bottom lip that faded after an hour. Arthur had been mad at the time, but while chastised him, he had been grinning.

"Yes. It was horrible."

The other laughed. "Yeah. It was pretty bad," He admitted. "But remember how our first time was here, too? In the summer between our sophomore and junior years?"

"That was also horrible."

Alfred frowned. "I thought it was awesome."

"Of course it was enjoyable for you, you were on top." Arthur responded without missing a beat.

"At least I got you off, though."

He sighed. "Yes, yes, you did."

He remember it all too well. The day was hot and sweaty, but the night had cooled off to a relaxing enough temperature. Nothing like what the current temperature was. Both of them had spent the entire day sitting around and talking, for no other reason than to be close to each other. It wasn't his ideal idea of a date, but Alfred had been insistent. Before they knew it, it was getting dark and Arthur stepped up to stretch and bike home. Alfred had leaned in for a goodnight kiss and before they knew it, they were both on the blanket again, Alfred above him and pulling out a bottle of lube.

The pain subsided to the point where it felt slightly good, before Alfred came with a grunt. He couldn't exactly complain too much, however, as at least his boyfriend was considerate enough to make sure he wasn't left wanting.

To that day, Alfred still insisted that he hadn't planned that at all. Even though it was painfully obvious to himself and the select close friends he had told.

"Why are you bringing these things up?" Arthur asked. "It doesn't matter now."

He heard the other fiddling with the sleeve of his shirt. Finally, he spoke, softly and delicately.

"Hey, are you mad at me?" Alfred asked.

No, of course not. There's nothing he could ever do to make him hold a grudge against him for a prolonged period of time. He was Alfred. And his reasons were completely understandable. It wasn't his fault.

Arthur thought for a moment, rolling back his shoulders. He already knew the answer.

"... No." He admitted. "I'm upset, yes. And I don't think this is quite as necessary as you make it out to be, but I can't stop you from pursuing your dreams, Alfred. I understand." Arthur continued. Feeling his eyes begin to water once more, he wiped at them with his sleeve. "Shit."

Alfred nodded and leaned in, wrapping his arms around the other and squeezing. Arthur looked up as he was held, surprised enough. "What are you...?"

"Let's be a couple tonight. Just one more night, then we can both start moving on," Alfred suggested. Arthur could feel his heartbeat racing even through the light fabric of the hoodie. His hands were unsteady and shaking, but held themselves firmly on Arthur's shoulders. "Please?"

Alfred tilted his chin up to look at him. Their eyes stained red, Arthur averted his gaze and closed his eyes, nodding.

"I'll tell my mom that I'm not coming home tonight," Arthur murmured, pulling out his phone.

The sex, while physically satisfying in every way, was no where near the emotional fulfillment and bridge to his new life that Alfred had been hoping it would be for the both of them.

Instead, he found that Alfred would start tearing up as they rested between sessions. Arthur didn't say anything about it. He just ran his thumb along the contours of his hand and let that lull Alfred into calmness. And although he wouldn't admit it, not for anyone, Arthur found that at times he would begin to have his eyes go watery and feel his hands shake. If Alfred noticed, he certainly didn't show it.

The next morning, they rode in complete silence with Arthur's bike in the back of Alfred's truck back to his house.

"I'll..." Alfred cleared his throat, leaning on the wheel. "I'll text you."

Arthur lifted his bike out of the trunk. Looking down, he felt his heart clench once more. "Alright. Take care."

"Yeah. You too."

Alfred pulled away, and Arthur found himself unable to do anything but endlessly pace his bedroom for ten minutes before he collapsed on his bed and broke.

* * *

_Hello there. I'm here with the first chapter of a story I've been procrastinating on. I've been trying to fix this whole writing block recently, since I have a bunch of ideas, but they just don't flow onto the keyboard properly. Still, I managed to get some done, obviously. I know I haven't updated IJI in... a good year. I understand. I'll work on that._

_Anyway, the title for this comes from the song "Two Breaths Walking", which is an absolutely gorgeous song created by DECO*27. The animation is beautiful, the music is great, and the story behind it is adorable and vaguely upsetting at the same time._

_Updates for this will come as frequently as I can pump them out. Which will hopefully be soon. I'm almost done with this year of school, my last day is on June 5th, so I'm going to try and update this in a little less than a week. Thanks for keeping posted and tolerating my updating pace along with quality. I'd love to know what you all have to think._

_-chibitalex_


	2. First Page of Evolution

_Turns out, school took a tad bit longer than I would have liked it to. I'm here now, thankfully._

_I would like to sincerely thank all of you for the tremendous response from the prologue alone. Special thank you to InvaderPey, midknight4ever, Caprincarin, LostDonut, mochiusagi, xBluieLovex, Hexa, The Neat Freak, and RIVILvFv! Your reviews were all very sweet, and very much appreciated. Nonetheless, I would like to mention that this story uses **Amebel as a plot device. **America and Belarus, Alfred and Natalya, etc. If you have any major issues with this, this is not quite the story for you. Enjoy._

* * *

"While it is true that our company has been a complete management wreck lately, I don't see how-" Francis cut off abruptly as the door opened, cuing all eyes to glance towards the entryway. "Ah, Arthur. Nice of you to arrive."

"That's Kirkland to you, Bonnefoy," Arthur scowled, snapping his umbrella closed as he walked through the doorway. The excess rain fell onto the grey carpet as he shrugged off his coat and hung it up on the rack. "I'm only three minutes late. And aside from that, have you seen the typhoon out there?"

Francis laughed lightly. "Yes, and it's not quite as bad as you think, mon cher," He gestured towards the window that took off half the room. "It's actually quite calm."

Arthur balked, aggressively pointing his index finger outside. "_That's calm?_"

"It's calmer than you on a good day."

"Excuse me, but I'd like to inform you just exactly who you are speaking to."

"Why, I'd be honoured. Please, Kirkland, set me in my place." Francis smiled, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms.

Arthur furrowed his brow and opened his mouth to respond when Elizaveta stood up, effectively cutting off any sort of response he may have had for the disrespectful bastard.

"That's enough. We are here to discuss management," She looked pointedly between the scowling pair of employees. "Not argue over the rain. Which, by the way, is very clearly coming down quite heavily."

Arthur sent a smirk Francis' way triumphantly. Served him right. Though, it would have had more of an effect if the man wasn't mumbling something about how difficult everyone at the company was, how much he missed his old job, things of the like. Taking his seat, Arthur set down his briefcase and grimaced. The entire thing was wet. He reluctantly used his palm to brush the small puddle onto the carpet before opening it. Looking up at Elizaveta, she nodded at him slightly before sitting back down, motioning for him to go ahead.

He cleared his throat. "You're correct, management is our top concern right now," Arthur began. A moment later, he pulled several documents out of his (Thoroughly ruined-) briefcase. "However, I did a bit of research last night and may have found several candidates suitable for various positions among our firm."

* * *

The meeting had passed relatively without incident. Which roughly translated to Francis keeping his mouth shut for prolonged periods of time. That was completely fine by Arthur. As far as he was concerned, not one productive thing had come out of the man's mouth since he was hired roughly three months after Arthur was.

Elizaveta patted him on the back as he packed up his paperwork. Various charts and Excel printouts. Nothing horribly exciting, but they were needed to get the job done. He looked up to find her smiling appreciatively.

"Nice work, Arthur. You came through for us again." She chuckled.

Arthur shook his head as he clicked the lock shut. "This is exactly why we need new employees and management. So I don't have to continue to come through for you all again and stay up until midnight finding applicants."

He hadn't meant to toss in as much malice as he did within his voice, but Elizaveta didn't seem to mind. In fact, she was one of the more mild tempered ones at their small excuse of a publishing firm.

She clucked her tongue and shook her finger at him playfully. "Now, that's not a polite way to behave. Especially when you have one of the most sought after jobs here."

"True. But I didn't sign up to be searching for new assets to our company," Arthur folded his arms. "I came here to look over manuscripts and help make them decent." Semi-decent, at least. Lord knows how some of the works that come through his office managed to get themselves a book deal.

Elizaveta simply laughed again, twirling her fingers. "I know. I really do appreciate your help, though. It's been so busy around here with all of these things coming through. And with all of the new manuscripts coming through here, and Lili moving..." She sighed. "It's been a mess."

Arthur looked her over with little sympathy. "It's going to continue being a mess until Francis and Gilbert pick several candidates to come in for interviews."

She frowned. "I can't help that they're both idiots."

One of his favourite traits about Elizaveta had to be her ability to see past the charming show many of the employees gave and see right through to their horrible work ethics and laziness.

"Although," Elizaveta continued, hovering her hand over Arthur's shoulder. Seemingly in debate, she dropped her arm and left it at her side before speaking again. "I would like you to attempt to get along with Francis."

And, there went the positive thoughts about her. Right out the window. Arthur stopped putting away his papers and scowled."Excuse me?"

"I know you two go out drinking together. It shouldn't be hard to apply that kind of tolerance to work. All it takes is a little bit of effort," She coughed a bit, slinging her bag around her shoulder and putting one foot out the doorway. "Just a suggestion."

Arthur stood there for a moment before grumbling and picking up his coat. Her tone of voice, sweet as it may have been, also clearly indicated that it was not a suggestion at all, but rather a demand.

Unsurprisingly, Francis was waiting outside the door of the conference as soon as he stepped out.

"Elizaveta suggested we become better friends," Francis laughed, putting suspiciously heavy emphasis on the word 'suggested'. Apparently she had been just as direct about the topic with him as well, most likely before he arrived this morning.

"I see she had a talk with you as well?" Arthur asked.

The man nodded his head sadly. "It's such a shame that I have to act civil with you. I was rather enjoying our bickering."

"You disgust me."

Francis clutched at his chest dramatically, falling to his knees. "I am wounded! Your words are like knives, piercing at my very soul with their-"

Arthur turned on his heel and began walking towards his office, rolling his eyes. Leave it to Francis to be a drama queen, as most people tended to call him. (Affectionately. Personally, he preferred to refer to Francis as a melodramatic prick who consistently overstepped his boundaries. He never seemed to understand just when enough was enough.)

"Wait, wait. I'll try to appeal to your dry tastes in humour," Francis sighed, rushing after him. "Though I hope you understand I meant you no offense earlier? When you came in looking like a drowned cat?"

There he went again. Arthur sighed. "While I'd appreciate it if you would refrain from referring to me as a dead animal, I do understand that you were just being yourself." It wasn't as if he was innocent from his fair share of insults and sharp words either.

Francis nodded, trotting after him. They continued to walk down the hallway in silence, surrounded by the busy noises of any company. Printers, phone calls, a select few cursing each other out in their offices. The usual, Arthur noted sardonically.

His office was really nothing special. It looked about the same as the offices of everyone on the particular floor, minus framed photos of significant others and family taking up the wall. Arthur was actually rather proud to have several certificates from college and various courses framed and hung instead. He stared at Francis, one hand on the doorknob.

"... You don't have to follow me. Don't you have work to do?" Arthur asked dryly. "Such as hiring new management?"

"Perhaps, but I do know that you have several bottles of brandy hidden under your desk..." Francis smiled pleadingly. Ineffectively.

Arthur scowled. "No. Do your job and I might consider giving you a swig one day." Which, at this rate, he was convinced would be never.

Francis snorted. "Even if I did hire new employees, you still wouldn't give me a drink, would you?"

The Englishman tossed him a look. "Most likely not," Tossing in his briefcase, he turned to Francis and took a step into his office. "Go. You have some decisions to make."

"Tough ones, I'm sure." Francis frowned, turning off and walking down to his office. Arthur sighed and closed the door. At least Francis was gone.

He settled himself on his chair and looked around the room. Some of the maintenance workers had a rather unfortunate habit of rearranging his items when ever they came to fix his computer. Things seemed to be in order today, however, which was good for both parties. Arthur didn't exactly feel like stumbling to the first floor to scold them, and he was sure that they didn't enjoy hearing him go on about how he needs a very particular environment in order to work at maximum efficiency.

Several things in the corner hadn't been touched since he came here, namely instruction manuals for his laptop that came with the position.

He didn't find the computer extremely necessary to do his job, but it did make things easier when contacting the authors of the manuscripts he read over, that was for certain.

Briefly, he contemplated taking a walk to get himself a cup of tea before he started when he noticed a clock out of the corner of his eye. It was already ten. The tea was long forgotten as he pulled a printed copy of some new romance novel out of a manilla folder and settled down with several highlighters.

* * *

By the time he had finished reading it over, the entire thing was covered in red ink marks and post it additions. Arthur would have to finish typing them up later to email the author, but that could be done tomorrow. It was already five. Surprisingly enough, the work had been fairly thick. That wasn't to say that longer meant better, however, as the skill level had been just about the same as the rest of the recent pages he was receiving.

Standing up, he leaned forwards and stretched his back out. It cracked, as usual, which was really something he should consider having looked at, but until it began to cause him pain, he didn't bother much with it.

The umbrella, fairly dry now, rested in the corner against the wall. Arthur looked out the window. Still raining. The droplets cascaded down the glass gently before flicking off the windowsill. This was the kind of weather he preferred, though not when he had to walk home in it.

Grabbing his coat, he slipped it on on his way downstairs. He nodded to several people, who he seemed to have a sort of friendship with. Rather, they would smile at each other occasionally and nod at each other politely every once in a while. He only knew about two of their names, anyway.

The umbrella did very little to shield him from the rain, but it was something. The wind was mostly the culprit, blowing stray drops and ultimately pouring the water directly onto his shoes. Arthur looked down and sighed. At least it wasn't one of his best pair. Things could be worse. He snorted. That wasn't exactly saying much, things could always be worse.

Arthur stepped into a puddle, effectively ruining one of his socks. He grimaced, looking down and shaking off his foot. Other people maneuvering through the sidewalk stepped around him and kept moving.

No one exactly seemed happy about the rain, but that was to be expected.

The light flashed green, and along with the herd, Arthur kept moving and crossed the street.

Almost immediately upon reaching the other side, a man jogging past and stepped into a large puddle on his way, pushing water not only up Arthur's ankles but also into his shoes.

"Hey!" He yelled, shaking himself off. Arthur grimaced at the squish of the water in his soles as he angrily stomped onwards.

When he managed to tear his glance away from his ruined shoes, he looked up and found himself staring into a pair of blue eyes.

"Ar... Arthur?" The man cleared his throat, pushing up his glasses.

He stared for a moment, holding his breath. Arthur blinked several times, running his eyes over the figure. Blond hair, blue eyes, glasses. Well-built. Saturated with rain water. The man seemed to be just as curious as he was, looking him over.

"... Alfred F. Jones." Arthur breathed finally, taking him in.

The other's face melted into a giant grin.

It had been seven years since they had broken up.

Seven years had proved very, _very _well for Alfred, apparently. His face was definitely more matured and had sharper details than when they last met. Alfred's eyes, stayed the same, blue. If he was correct, the glasses seemed a bit different as well. They seemed a bit darker. He must have gotten new frames. The boy was always breaking his glasses back in high school, anyway, but he would always continue using the same frames.

"Oh my god, it's really you, isn't it?" Alfred asked, leaning in and placing his hands on Arthur's shoulders. The rain from the umbrella dripped down onto his head, but Alfred didn't seem to mind. "You haven't changed at all!"

Arthur laughed lightly. "You look just about the same as well."

Several people bumped into them, scowling. Alfred rubbed the back of his sheepishly and grinned.

"Let's get out of the rain," He muttered, pulling Arthur aside and under a cover.

They stared at each other for a moment before Alfred cleared his throat and broke the silence. "So... hey! How are you? You look great!" He smiled, shaking the other's shoulder playfully.

He closed his umbrella and backed against the wall. "Well, my shoes are now thoroughly soaked, thanks to you."

"Good to know your personality hasn't changed either," The American chuckled, his eyes twinkling and reflecting the various puddles surrounding them. "Yeah, sorry about that. I usually jog around here at this time of day." Alfred said thoughtfully. His gaze flickered between the top of the cover and Arthur's eyes. A moment later, he continued. "When did you move here, anyway? I haven't seen you around!"

Arthur folded his arms, willing himself to ignore his first comment. It seemed Alfred was just the same as ever as well. Which could be considered good or bad, depending on how you looked at it. "Actually, I could ask you the same thing. I've lived here for two years now."

"Really? Two years?" Alfred snorted. "No way. I've lived here for two years."

"You mean to tell me you've lived here for two years and we haven't seen hide or hair of each other?" He raised an eyebrow.

Alfred shrugged. "Guess so. Not complaining though, because hey- we see each other now!"

Arthur opened his mouth to respond when a woman smashed into his shoulder.

"Oh, sorry, dear!" She apologised, walking off in her own direction. For what it was worth, she didn't sound very sorry at all. In fact, she didn't even look up.

The ordeal served to snap them both back into reality, and Alfred blinked, looking around before looking back down at Arthur.

"I know I'm really gross and wet right now, but do you maybe wanna get a coffee?" He asked nervously. "And I know that you might not want to see me, but I just figured-"

"Alfred."

He looked up, meeting Arthur's eyes.

The Englishman chuckled, closing his eyes and smiling. "There is nothing right now that I would want to do more than get a beverage with you."

Alfred visibly relaxed, his shoulders slumping down and his posture straightening. He flicked rainwater onto Arthur's head when he ran his fingers through it.

"I know this place a few minutes from here we can go to?"

* * *

The place Alfred had showed him to was actually rather comfortable. It was a bit out of the way for his usual commute to work and for food, Arthur noted. That had to be why he didn't see it sooner. Several people were idly chatting and minding their espressos when the pair came stumbling in, soaked to the bone. The owner, who had been on the phone, watched them carefully before hanging up her call and moving over to fret at the small puddles they were leaving on the floor. More specifically, the puddles Alfred was leaving on the floor.

Of course, the smile he gave was his usual stellar gleam. Enough to get away with murder if the situation called for it. The owner relaxed, handing him several handfuls of paper towel.

Alfred wrung out his skin tight, uncomfortably wet, white t-shirt into the sink in the bathroom before coming out and pulling his wallet out of his pocket.

"My treat. Just grab that booth over there," He said, waving him off as Arthur attempted to pull his own wallet out of his briefcase.

"Do you even know what I want?" Arthur asked, narrowing his eyes.

The other's smile didn't falter. He winked at him. "Nah, but I can take a guess."

Huffing, Arthur complied and slid into the booth near the corner. He was sure to leave Alfred the window seat- Lord knew that he went insane if he didn't have the window seat, for some reason that he would never be too certain of himself.

It was actually rather disturbing just how little Alfred had changed over the years, or from at least what he could see. With the rush of meeting him beginning to wear off, a nervous bulge took home in the pit of his stomach. Meeting up with ex-boyfriends, girlfriends, whatever the case may be didn't usually go over well, at least in his experience.

His eyes drifted over to Alfred. While it was true that his features had matured, he still had essentially the same figure. Arthur didn't find himself to change incredibly over the years, aside from switching his school uniforms to pressed and clean suits.

Questions bounced around in his head uncomfortably. Their break up had been... all right. He wouldn't consider it messy, but it still left a strain on their friendship within the following year. Of course, Alfred was determined to not lose him, but with the pressure of college and the long distance between them, their messages and texts had drifted from paragraphs to sentences before disappearing entirely.

Arthur actually had tried to contact him several years ago, but shortly after texting him, he received a message notifying him that the text never went through.

"Here, I got you Earl Grey," Alfred announced, setting down a steaming cup along with some sort of unidentified pastry in a brown bag. A moment later, he spoke again, a tad more subdued. "Your favourite."

Apparently, he had chosen to get coffee and some sort of cake for himself. Arthur snorted. Unsurprising.

"Thank you, Alfred," He said, taking a sip from his cup. "Although, I'm surprised that you remembered what my favourite blend was after all of these years."

It was rather thoughtful of him, honestly.

Alfred snorted. "Yeah, well, how could I forget you yelling at me all those times I tried to bring you Lipton?" He brought his voice up, (Very poorly) imitating an English accent. "Alfred Foster Jones! I cannot drink this... this _swine _you call tea! It's an embarrassment to be seen drinking this. Get me something respectable!"

Arthur silently took a sip of his drink. "... I did not speak like that." He said quietly.

"You kind of did." Alfred laughed.

"Shush, you." He huffed. "At least I wasn't the one who stole an entire pot of coffee from the teacher's lounge in my sophomore year."

Alfred choked on his coffee. "Now, wait just a second! They made me come for before school studying! What was I supposed to do?"

"Get enough sleep and not play video games all night?"

The American grumbled something under his breath and took another sip of his brew. Now curious as to what the pastry was, Arthur peeked inside the brown bag Alfred had brought over. Whatever it was, he wouldn't be too picky. He never much liked sweets, anyway.

Pulling a lump out of the bag, he looked over at Alfred. "You got me a scone?"

"Course I did!" Alfred smiled. "I mean, you would order one pretty much every time we went out on coffee dates, didn't you?"

He picked at the corner, taking a chunk off. Blueberry. Tentatively, he tasted it. Arthur rolled it around for a moment before taking another bite. "It's actually rather good."

"They have some good things here, so I pretty much figured everything would be a safe bet to go on," Alfred responded casually. "Haven't had their scones, though. Glad you like it."

Arthur nodded and picked at the pastry, taking another sip of his tea. Alfred glanced out the window.

Ah. There it was again. Another all encompassing silence. Arthur watched as Alfred gulped down his coffee and winced. Didn't it burn his throat to just be chugging it down like that? This was getting painful to watch. Then again, Alfred did that back in their high school years as well. He supposed that he just got used to watching it after a while.

Arthur cleared his throat, tapping the table a bit. Alfred looked over and stopped gulping down his coffee, thank god. "So, Alfred, where are you working?"

"Down at the high school. I'm a chemistry teacher," He said, pointing off in the general direction of the building. "I'm kinda proud of it, actually. A bunch of people were applying."

"I figured you would become a teacher or something similar," Arthur said with a faint smile into his tea. "You always did have an affectionate side for kids."

Alfred rolled his eyes. "The bastards I teach aren't adorable at all. Actually..." He paused for a moment. "No, wait, like three periods out of the day are great. The rest are just... well..." He stuck out his tongue.

"I figure as much. High school students can be that way," Arthur nodded. "Our grade was like that as well."

"Were we?" Alfred asked, tilting his head. "I thought we were... uh... at least a little better." He shrugged. "Maybe it was just me who thought that."

"You were, trust me. Our grade was terrible. Everyone hated us, especially the teachers." He affirmed, picking off another crumb off his scone.

Alfred stretched and yawned a bit. He had to be getting cold with his clothes still soaking wet, but he didn't seem to mind very much. "So, what have you been up to, Arthur?"

Arthur shrugged. "I'm an editor down the street. I look over manuscripts and review them for errors."

"Figures that you would do that sort of thing," The blond responded. "I bet you also leave notes along the margins trying to help the writer improve word choice?" He grinned.

It was almost unsettling how much Alfred remembered about him. Then again, it figured that when you dated someone for four years, being friends for five years before that, you'd come to know things about them.

"Perhaps." Arthur admitted. This only served to make Alfred's grin widen, but he dropped the subject in favour to pry into his personal life.

"So, you dating anyone?" He asked, face going serious for a split moment.

Arthur nearly spit out his tea. His face went white, save for his cheeks, which blossomed red. He didn't think there was anything wrong with being single, per se, however, admitting this to your ex-boyfriend was another thing entirely.

"No. Why? You are, I presume?"

Alfred nodded and smiled. "Yep! My girlfriend's name is Natalya. We've been dating for like six months."

Arthur's smile faltered. It wasn't unusual for Alfred to have a girlfriend. In fact, with the way he was, he fully expected it. Alfred deserved someone to love and be loved in return. It wasn't that he was disappointed that he didn't have another chance with Alfred, either. When they broke up, that was it. He never expected another chance with him, and certainly not after seven years of separation.

It was more the reality of hearing Alfred actually say that he had found someone else that made him stop and think.

"Ah," Arthur said after a few moments of quiet. "That's good. How did you meet her?"

Alfred, completely oblivious to his reaction, (One more thing that hadn't changed.) smiled thoughtfully and looked off.

"We just met at a party. My friend Kat introduced me to her sister, and things just kinda went from there." He explained. "Not much of a story, really."

Arthur shrugged stiffly. "That's nice. It's good that you've found someone, then."

"Aw, you jealous, Arthur?" Alfred teased, leaning in. Completely missing the point. "I'm sure you'll find someone soon! There has to be some girl in the world who'd marry you, right?" He laughed.

"I don't like girls," Arthur gritted his teeth. "Remember?"

That seemed to bring Alfred to a halt, seeing as he backed away and finished off his coffee. They stayed quiet. Arthur was about to open his mouth to apologise for making things uncomfortable, when Alfred spoke.

"Yeah. I know. A guy, then." He bobbed his head. "You'll find a nice guy soon."

Arthur snorted.

Alfred gave him a sideways smile as he finished off his coffee. "Come on, don't be like that. Are there any cute guys at your work?"

"There's Francis."

"So, is this Francis singl-"

"Francis smells like wine and cheese all the time and has a godawful personality," Arthur finished. Apparently Alfred hadn't realised he wasn't finished. "The only thing we ever do together outside of work is get pissed."

Honestly, saying Francis was attractive wasn't much of a compliment, seeing as how the majority of the staff at Zwingli Publishing seemed to be made solely of young, attractive singles. He didn't really stand out among the crowd. Arthur was just waiting for a staff party one of these days to see who would get together with who. Personally, he had his money on Ludwig from marketing and Feliciano, another editor.

Alfred laughed. "Can you see past the horrible personality and try to date him anyway?"

"Not a chance in hell." Arthur chuckled. "And if by chance I do end up dating him, I suggest you pinch yourself to wake up."

"Got it. Pinch myself if you start dating this Francis dude. I'll keep a mental note." He parroted.

Arthur had finished his scone and cup when Alfred happened to glance at his phone. Curious, Arthur peered over to view the time.

Shit. He was supposed to be home an hour ago to feed his cat. Poor thing was probably starving without him.

Taking the last gulp of tea down, he set the cup on the table neatly. Arthur cleared his throat to get Alfred's attention.

"I'm sorry to cut this off short, but I really do have to be going now," He said, standing up and sliding out of the booth. "It was wonderful to speak with you again. I'm glad to see you're doing well for yourself."

Alfred looked up, frowning when he saw Arthur already standing and grabbing for his umbrella.

"Aw, really?" He asked, breaking off the last piece of cake and swallowing it with a swig of coffee.

Arthur nodded. "I'm afraid so. Take care of yourself, Alfred." He said, turning on his heel to toss the paper cup and bag in the trash on his way out. "And thank you for the tea and scone. I appreciate it very much."

"Hey, anytime." Alfred smiled, holding up his hand in a parting gesture.

He hadn't even turned a corner outside when Arthur heard the door swish behind him and rapid footsteps splashing in the puddles. He sighed, turning around. Sure enough, he came face to face with the American.

"Yes?"

"I... uh..." Alfred seemed to be at a loss for words a moment. A second later, he pulled out his phone. "Wanna put your number in?"

Part of him was flattered and excited that the man wanted to continue communications, while the other half hesitated greatly.

Arthur looked up. "Alfred, it's not exactly appropriate for exes to speak with each other when you already have a girlfriend." He said flatly.

Something seemed to have snapped in Alfred, his previously calm and boyish demeanor all but disappearing entirely. "Don't call us exes," He said with most force than expected.

Arthur stepped back.

"We're more than just 'exes', Arthur," Alfred said, taking a step forwards. "We were best friends for five years before we started dating."

It was unsettling how serious Alfred became, and the short span of time it took for his attitude to completely change. Regardless, Arthur's fingers ghosted over the screen, hesitating before he put in the first digit.

"I know. I didn't mean it like that." Arthur said softly, damn his weak spot for this man.

Alfred sighed, looking away as he handed the phone off entirely into Arthur's hands. "You're my best friend, Arthur. You always have been," He said quietly. "And I'm not going to let you go now that I've found you again."

There really was no good response to something like that. Arthur remained quiet, tapping out his number and handing it to Alfred under the safety of the umbrella.

"Don't get that wet, now."

The man looked over the device and softly repeated the numbers on the screen before looking up and smiling. Arthur felt his legs go numb once more.

"I won't. I'll text you when I get back, okay?" He asked, not waiting for an answer as he began jogging off. "See ya!"

This left Arthur standing alone in the rain, hands just barely trembling and legs slightly unsteady.

For the rest of the walk home, Alfred stayed tacked to his mind. His legs carried him as stiffly as lead.

* * *

The couch had never felt more comfortable in his life, Arthur decided as he flopped down onto the leather, wet suit and all. He registered a ball of fluff swirling its way around his ankle, but he was too exhausted to care.

He had only managed to relax for about three minutes before Hero began to whine and nip at his fingers.

"Get off me, cat." Arthur muttered, his hand flopped over his face. Hero whined again. The thing just didn't seem to understand when to quit.

Arthur groaned as the cat yowled rather loudly, directly into his ear. "All right. I'll get your food, just belt up."

He was just beginning to walk to the kitchen when he saw a light from under the edge of his briefcase in the corner. It was probably Alfred, he thought vaguely as he kicked off his shoes and dug out a bag of food from the under the sink. Hero purred audibly and trotted over to his bowl, keeping his eyes locked on it.

A minute later, Hero was eating happily. Arthur scratched behind his ears, smiling as it purred gratefully. If there was one good thing about this cat, he was easy to take care of. Give him food, and he would be happy.

A new message from an unknown number graced his screen. Arthur flipped it open and read silently.

"_Hey, Arthur! It's me! ;) Add me, kay?"_

Arthur tapped out another message quickly.

"_You've been added. Happy?" _He stood up after sending it, only to hear another vibration almost immediately.

"_Also, our whole... thing isn't going to hold back our friendship now, right? We've moved past that?"_

He hesitated before responding.

"_No, of course not. That's completely over with."_

Arthur wasn't entirely sure if he felt relief as he sent off the message. He had no interest in pursuing Alfred any further, that was for certain. They were done. Still, his chest stung for a moment before he tossed the phone onto the couch and walked up the stairs to take a shower.

The phone vibrated once more, out of his sight.

"_So, we'll be BFFLs again, lol. This is gonna be great! It's really good to see you again :)"_


End file.
